KOTA KINABALU: The State Government wants the revised minimum wage to be standardized between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Resource Development and IT Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat said so far they did not know how much is the revised amount but the government insist to have it standardise.
Presently, the minimum wage for Peninsula is RM1,000 while Sabah is RM920 and the Malaysian Trade Union Congress; and the Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services wants the minimum wage to be standardised, said Siringan.
“The standardised wage will encourage the locals to work in Sabah,” said Siringan after witnessing his staff took the oath and signing of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s corruption-free pledge at his ministry office in Wisma Bandaraya here on Tuesday.
He said the standardise minimum wage will attract the locals to take up the job in the plantation sector and reduce the dependent on foreign workers.
“The standardise minimum wage will not burden to the employers because when the government want to make a policy, they will consult the stakeholders first before they come up with the decision,” said Siringan.
He said Sabah was represented by the Sabah Employers Consultative Association (SECA) in the National Wages Consultative Council (NWCC) where his ministry’s permanent secretary Datuk Bruno Vun was also a member.
He said the Sabah Employers Association who are not in favour of the standardise minimum wage can submit their proposal to SECA.
Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr Richard Riot Jaem said recently the minimum wage will be announced next year.
He said the NWCC had started making plans to review the Minimum Wages Order 2016 to allow the government to determine the new minimum wages rate.
The move will close the minimum wage gap for the private sector in line with the current socio- economic development.-Moses Wong/BNN
